Before the wind rose
by Hecate28
Summary: A sort of prequel to my story Wind Rose. These chapters fill in Rosie's backstory.
1. Part one

Before the Wind rose

(Disclamer: I own no rights to Robin Hood or any of the characters except Rosie because sje's my own special creation)

A/N:This is set before my story Wind rose and it just gives a little insight into Rosie's background etc

Part One-Babyhood

A man stood looking in the wicker cradle at the little baby wiggling about and crying. He gently bent into the cradle and picked up the weeping baby gently stroking her mouse-coloured hair which matched his. From where he was standing he could see his other daughters watching him intently.

Elle the oldest and the most stern and solem with a proper manner.Next was Sapphire a quiet mouse of a girl who looked up from her deep brown eyes. Then there was Willow who for most of her life has been the youngest who looked on with a bitter tinge as her father sang to the crying baby.

"What will you call her father?" Elle asked

"I do not know yet, but it will be special. Youe mother all named you after the letters of your compass but as this little one was the last to be born by her i think she needs somthing special" he replied

"What about naming her after mother?" Willow asked

"That's a nice thought but Willow my dear the little one needs to be her own person and therefore deserves her own name. A good strong name that will carry her well"

"Have you designed a wind rose yet?" Sapphire asked nervously

"Not yet my dear but soon. This little one is going to be tricky i can tell. Now look at the time it is late, off to bed with all of you" he said in a mockingly stern manner.

Once the girls had gone he sat down in a chair by the glowing girl and looked down at the baby. Out of all his daughters she looked the most like him. She had his mousey coloured hair and he could tell she was going to be tall. The baby looked up at him and he could tell that she also had his deep purple eyes that almost glowed in the light of the fire.

"She's lovely" a voice came from behind and he looked up and saw his tall apprentice standing in the doorway polishing his bow

"Ah there you are my apprentice, is the work done?"

"To the highest standard"

"I wish you would not have that weapon in here i don't want you giving this one any ideas" he said noting that the baby was looking up intently at the young man's bow

"William i do not know what you mean. Where did you get the idea of me being a bad influence from?" the man grinned

"Well Robin from that young girl who's heart you mess about with back in Locksly, what was her name?"

"Marion" Robin grinned at the thought of her "And i do not mess her about"

"That's not what her father said" William said raising an eyebrow "Do you want to hold her?" he said gesturing towards the baby

Robin nodded and awkwardly took the baby and smiled down at the little form "I dread to think what she'll be like when she's your age Master Robin" William shook his head and laughed "You are yet seventeen summers old and have caused more trouble in a few weeks than i have in my whole lifetime" and Robin laughed

The baby gurgled happliy "Oh come on that's not fair" he said as the little baby turned all her attention to Robin and curled her thumb round his fingers and chewed them gently

"It's the smile" Robin grinned "No girl can resist the smile"

"Master Robin you should watch yourself one day that Marion of your's will give you somthing to cry about if you treat how like you do"

"She loves me" he grinned "And i love her"

"Well make sure you tell her that Robin" he said "With my three daughters i never had the time to tell my love untill it was too late" he said sadly

"But you hsve the little one now" he said gesturing to the little baby "Has she a name yet?"

William thought for a moment before saying "Rosie"

"A symbol of love and passion" Robin said passing the baby back to William "A good strong name to carry her well" he said as he left the room

"Where are you going?" William called

"To tell Marion how i really feel" Robin called back

"At this hour!"

"Why wait it's as you said!" he said running off towards Marion's house

"Oh Rosie what are we going to do with him?" and little baby Rosie looked up with her deep purple eyes and gurgled in response "Well you have a name now, so i guess you're going to need a wind rose all of your own little one" he said laying her down in her craddle and pulling out some parchment and ink

"Roise Oaks, I can tell you're going to be a handful" he laughed as the baby started to cry again when his back was turned "That's the trouble with having the blood of a mapmaker, you're always wanting to explore and i know you're nothing like your sisters. You don't look like thm or act like they did and you could cry for england but Rosie Oaks let me tell you this if you i know you're going to be a real handful and you will want to explore and you must my dear. You must go where the wind take you my little Rose.


	2. Part two

Part Two-Childhood

A small bundle of mousy brown hair and purple eyes came hurtling through William's workshop slipping on the stone floor and falling to the ground with a thump

"Rosie" William frowned "Be careful" he said turning back to his work

"I am" the little four year old looked up and scowled at him,folding her arms and huffing loudly to get her father's attention

William smiled to himself before turning round and asking innocently "Is there something the matter?"

"It's not fair" Rosie whined

"What's not little one?"

"They all get to go out into Nottingham and have fun and i have to stay here" she scowled using all fours to get up on a stool in the least graceful manner William had ever seen

"And you will too...when you're older"

"You said that yesterday and i am older than i was yesterday" Rosie said climbing onto her fathers lap

"Well you need to be a bit older than one day"

"Two days?" Rosie looked up hopefully

"Older still"

Roise looked down and was counting on her fingers and she held up four "This many?"

"More like three years"

"Three years!!" Rosie repeated in shock with her mouth hanging open

"When you're seven i will take you into Nottingham when i go to trade" William said firmly

Rosie huffed and slid off his lap and fell to the floor with a bump where she crawled under the table to sulk. William stuck his head under the table and looked at his daughter who had turned her back to him

"Rosie" he coaxed but Rosie only made a high pitched whine in reply "Do you want to see it?" he said referring to the wind rose that Rosie spent most of her time looking at and tracing each line with her little fingers

"No" came the sulky reply and William bent down under the table to pick up his daughter who squirmed as he did so "Daddy nooooo!" she squealed as he picked her up and carried her across the room "Daddy down" she cried

William gently put her down on the rug next to the fire where he tried to stiffle a laugh as she scrunched up her face in a melodramatic scowl. He asked her again

"Do you want to see it?" and she nodded in defeat.

William gently pulled out the parchment he had drawn on that cold night four years ago and set it down in front of Rosie. Almost as if in a trance she sat down crossed legged on the rug and started to trace each line with her finger. He looked over her shoulder at the parchment and smiled to himself. Out of all his daughters Rosie's was the most intricate. In the middle was a red rose and drawn around were intricate swirls and letters depicting the paths of the great forest and tales of old. Without realising William had drawn a whole map in miniature on her wind rose.

"Daddy?" Roise said not looking up

"Yes Rosie?"

"Can you teach me?" and William looked up at his daughter shocked

"Teach you what?" he said already knowing the answer but he wanted to hear the words from her little mouth

"Teach me about exploring and maps. I want to know what this all means" she said pointing to the lines and swirls.

William smiled, not one of his daughters had shown an interest in his map making except Rosie. He had always known she was going to be different but his heart sank a little as he thought for a moment. He knew that if he taught her the ways of map making she would soon want to explore and he knew he would loose her. Rosie always wanted to explore and William had to keep a close eye on her so she didn't wander off too far but he knew down deep in his heart that her path had already been chosen and the best thing he could do was make sure that she was well prepared when the time came.

"Yes Rosie i'll teach you but you promise me one thing"

"What?" she said looking up at him

"That you do not tell anyone of the secrets that i teach you because Rosie, even a name can give away a thousand secrets" and Rosie nodded

"I promise" she said and William smiled.

He took her small hand and gently led her over to his work bench where piles of parchment were laid. Late into the night the two of them sat together as William taught Rosie all his secrets. She sat there with her purple eyes lapping up the colours and lines of the maps and her mind remembering each little detail her father taught her. William kissed his daughter on the top of the head. He knew this skill would serve her well one day, he just wished that it would be in the right circumstances.


	3. Part three

**_A/N: Sorry for the delay in the update, it's all been a bit hectic but bear with me; we'll get there...eventually: p_**

Part Three-Neighbourhood

3 years had passed and now Rosie was seven years old and true to his promise William agreed to take Rosie into Nottingham whilst he did some business there. He collected his things and went to find Rosie who was playing outside there house in a mound of dirt

"Rosie" William said sighing as he saw his daughter's mud streaked face "Come here", he took his daughters hand and let her over to the well where Elle his eldest daughter was standing waiting with a bucket of water

"No!" Rosie shouted and ducked behind William as Elle went to wash her face

"Rosie come on!" Elle said taking her by the hand and pushing the wet cloth in her face.

Rosie squirmed and twisted but Elle held onto her firmly. After another brief struggle they were finished and Rosie's face was clean.

"Can you get her properly dressed whilst I saddle up the horse?" William said motioning to the torn mud streaked dress that Rosie wore.

Elle took her sisters hand and went indoors. She fished around in a cupboard and pulled out a pretty white dress that their mother had made years ago. Each of the Oak's daughters had worn it and now it was Rosie's turn. Rosie ran out of the room and came back with the dress on

"You look lovely" Elle said crouching down to smooth it out "Like a princess"

"No, I don't want to be a princess" Rosie sulked

"What do you want to be then?"

"An explorer like Daddy" Rosie said clambering up onto the stool as Elle tried to sort out her little sister's tangled mouse coloured hair "Ow" Rosie cried

"Sit still" Elle scolded as she brushed out Rosie's long hair and plaited a crown of flowers into it

"Why do I have to get dressed up, I'm only going into Nottingham" Rosie said wincing as Elle pulled her hair

"The king is in Nottingham today and father wants you to look nice" Elle said "There done" she smiled as she put the finishing touch to Rosie's hair and showed her in the mirror "What do you think?"

"Pretty" Rosie smiled admiring herself and giving Elle a hug

"Go to father now" Elle said ushering Rosie out of the door.

As Rosie ran out she nearly collided with Sapphire who was coming in. The two elder daughters sat in the room and watched out of the window as they saw their little sister run to their father who helped her up onto Bracken their old black horse

"Do you think father was right putting Rosie in white, it's a dangerous colour for her to wear" Elle said looking down at the dirt pile

"She's nothing like us..." Sapphire said gently

"...I know I was thinking the same thing whilst I was doing her hair. I have done both yours and Willow's but each time I called your princesses you two loved it but with Rosie she dismissed the idea and told me she wanted to be an explorer like father" Elle said frowning slightly

Sapphire wrinkled her nose at the thought of that but then said "She'll go where her heart leads and no one will be able to stop her"

"I know that's what I'm worried about" Elle said giving her sister a nervous look

William helped Rosie up onto Bracken and then he got on sitting behind her so he could catch her if she fell. Not that he needed to. Rosie was an avid rider brimming with confidence and already rode better than her sister's had at that age. She was close to Bracken and would spend hours sitting on the fence talking to him and in return Bracken trusted her when she rode him. Soon they were on the road leading up to Nottingham and William slowed Bracken's pace

"Daddy why do I have to wear a dress?" Rosie said as the novelty was wearing off

"Because I want you to look smart"

"For the king?" and William nodded "Why is he in Nottingham?"

"He wants me to help him with some maps"

"Will he want the ones I drew?" Rosie said referring to the map making skills William had been teaching her. Although her skills were good they had yet to be refined and her maps were detailed yet somehow inaccurate

But William not wanting to hurt her feelings said "He might do" and then they passed into Nottingham and they said no more. Rosie was taken back by all the sights, sounds and smells of Nottingham. People bustled to and fro chattering amongst themselves. She could hear music playing from travelling performers and she could hear the clang of the blacksmith and the chop of the carpenter. William stopped Bracken outside the Carpenters workshop and helped Rosie down. At the sound of the arrival a man exited the shop with a beam on his face as he saw who it was

"William!" the man said embracing him

"Dan Scarlet it is good to see you" William laughed

"And who is this young beauty?" Dan said mentioning to Rosie who had suddenly become very shy and was hiding behind William

"This is my Rosie" He said dragging her out from behind him

"She has your eyes" Dan smiled

At that point a young boy a few years older than Rosie came out of the workshop with sawdust in his hair. His father smiled at him gently and the boy grinned when he saw the visitors

"This is my son, Will" he said gesturing to the young boy

"Will this is William Oaks and his daughter Rosie"

"Pleased to meet you" he said to Rosie who became shy again and hid behind William

"She's a little shy" William said softly to Will who grinned in return

"I like your dress" he blushed

"I don't its girly" she sulked and Will grinned

"Yeah, it is a bit" he said laughing

"Rosie we should get going now" William said taking his daughter's hand

"Hope to see you soon Rosie" Will called before disappearing back inside the workshop

"Right now little one" he said pulling something out of his pocket "This is a compass rose, your very own compass rose and now you will never have to be lost again"

He held up the glass object to the light as it glistened in the sun. It was attached to a purple ribbon which matched her eyes. He fastened it round her neck and stepped back to look at his handiwork

"Thank you daddy" she said looking down at it

"Right now off we go to see the king" he said taking her hand and leading her towards the castle.

The compass rose round her neck glowed in the late summer sun almost like it was part of Rosie's very soul. William knew that she was safe now she had her compass rose he just hoped he hadn't left it too late this time.


	4. Part Four

Part Four: Maidenhood

Part Four: Maidenhood

As the castle of Nottingham loomed before them, Rosie suddenly turned quiet. William knowing full well that if Rosie was quiet it either meant she was up to something or she was worried so he stopped and turned to his youngest daughter

"What is it my child?" but Rosie just shook her head "Rosie" he said gently pushing her chin up so he could look into her eyes

"Daddy why do you have to go in there" she said pointing to the castle "It's scary"

William looked up and suddenly saw what Rosie meant. To a young girl the huge castle look intimidating with its ferocious portcullis and the masses of surrounding guards.

"Don't worry Rosie, the castle is not scary. Sometimes things just look scary and nasty from the outside to scare off people" and Rosie nodded.

They made their way into the castle and were shown to the great room by two guards who said nothing to them. Outside the room William bent down to his young daughter

"Be good little one, I wont be long" he whispered before standing up and entering the room followed by the two guards.

Rosie was left all alone in the dark long corridor. It was silent and cold. She sat down outside the door and hugged her knees hoping that William would come back soon

…………………………………………………………………………………………

William entered the room and was taken back by who was sitting in front of him. Instead of his loyal and favourable king there was a small bald man with a sneer on his face and a talk dark haired man in leather standing behind him

"I don't understand…." William began "Where is the king?"

"The king is off fighting in the holy lands" the bald man sneered

"Well who are you?" William frowned

"I am the Sheriff of Nottingham and this lovely fellow is Sir Guy of Gisbourne" the man said gesturing to the leather clad man behind him

"But I don't understand the king called for me"

"We need your services" the Sheriff said

"My services belong to the king and no one else" William said sternly

"I think you might change your mind when we show you what is at stake" the Sheriff said clicking his fingers as the guards moved forward and grabbed William roughly by the arms

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Back in the corridor Rosie jumped at the sudden noise that echoed down the corridor. She listened intently as the noise came closer and closer.

"Robin, I have to go my father will be expecting me back and I told him I would only be at the castle for the afternoon" said a female voice

"I love you Marion" came another voice Rosie was sure she recognised

"Master hurry" a third voice called down the corridor

Rosie suddenly felt very afraid, _what if she got into trouble by sitting outside the door? Maybe the voices belonged to guards who would throw her in the dungeons if the though she had been listening to their conversation_

Rosie pressed herself up against the door in a bid not to be seen as voices from the conversation grew closer and closer. She put wrapped herself up in a little ball and tried to make herself as small as possible. The footsteps got closer and closer until the stopped in front of her.

"Well, well, well what do we have here then?" a voice said

"Please don't throw me in the dungeons" Rosie cried

"Now why would I do that?" the voice said and Rosie uncurled herself and saw a tall man with light coloured hair and kind eyes looking down at her. From where she was sitting Rosie could see he had a bow hanging off his back. Next to him stood a shorter man who looked nervous and behind them stood a pretty young lady with curly brown hair.

"Because you're guards and you don't like people in your castle" Rosie said sniffing slightly

"We're not guards" the man said

"Promise?" Rosie said wiping the tears from her eyes

"I promise, now what is a pretty little thing like you sitting down on a cold floor like this?"

"Waiting for my father" she said with a bit of boldness creeping back into her voice

"And what's your father's name?"

"William Oaks" she said and the man stood up looking shocked

"As in the famous mapmaker" and Rosie nodded "Which means that would make you….no you couldn't be….could you?"

"I'm Rosie" she said with all the confidence in her voice regained and the man grinned down at her

"Rosie Oaks, my how you've grown, you were just a little baby when I last saw you"

"Do you know my Daddy?" Rosie asked

"Yes, I was his apprentice about seven years ago, I'm Robin by the way" he aid "This is Much" he said pointing to the man behind him "And this is Maid Marion although if I have my way she won't be a maid for much longer" he said taking the young girls hand whilst she blushed

"Robin don't" she smiled "I have to go" she said pulling away and hurrying away down the corridor

Rosie slowly got to her feet as Robin leant a hand and pulled her up. She brushed the dirt off her dress and looked up at the man who had introduced himself as Robin

"Is my daddy coming back soon?"

"I'm not sure, why is he here anyway?"

"The king wants to Daddy to help with some maps" Rosie said repeating what William had told her earlier

"But the king is in the holy lands" Much said

"No, daddy said he was here" Rosie said shaking her head manically

Robin looked at Much with a worried look on his face.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

"Well, well, well William, we need your skills" the Sheriff said sneering as the guards held William down

"And I told you…." William started to stay

"Yes I know, you're loyal to your precious king, well as I said he's in the holy lands and well we need your maps. See some of us don't want him back so we're going to trot off into to the holy lands and kill him" the Sheriff said coldly

"And why do you need me?"

"You made his maps my dear boy and we need them to go and find the dear old king"

"No I will never" William shouted "I am loyal to my king"

"You see I thought you would say that so I made arrangements"

"What sort of arrangements?"

"Those lovely girls of yours"

"What have you done with my daughters?"

The Sheriff clicked his fingers and the guards brought out a stretcher. On the stretcher lay three bodies. William leaned forward and cried out when he saw who they were. There lying quite still were his daughters.

"What have you done you monster?" William screamed

"You crossed me Oaks. You won't give me what I want and so I took away the thing you cherish most in your life"

"They were just children" he sobbed

"Well don't worry Gisbourne left one by mistake. Your youngest daughter wasn't there" the Sheriff paused for a moment before saying "Which means she must be with you. Guards!" he yelled.

But at that point William lost it. He leapt up and fought off the guards. He tore out of the room and fell down in front of Robin who was talking with Rosie

"William what happened?" Robin cried

"Daddy?" Rosie said looking scared

"He killed them Robin, he killed my girls" William sobbed

"William we need to get out of here" Robin said picking up Rosie and running out of the castle with Much helping William

"I should have known" William kept repeating "I had a feeling, that's why I gave Rosie her compass rose today"

When they were far enough into the nearby forest they all stopped and Robin put Rosie down who was crying in a mixture of fear and confusion

"Come here my darling" William said crying as he pulled his daughter into a hug "Daddy's here now"

"William you can't stay here now" Robin said

"I know" William said looking sad

"Travel away from here, keep Rosie safe. The Sheriff will be after her and yourself"

"But what about you Robin?"

"Me and Much have been called to the holy lands to fight. But I will get message to the king of the evil" Robin said looking stern "Now go before the guards catch up with you"

William stood up still holding Rosie and turned to Robin and Much "Promise me you will look after her one day if something happens to me"

"Nothing will William"

"Please promise me Robin…."

"I promise"

"Stay safe my young men" William said calling to the two young men as he ran off into the forest

"You too" Robin called

"Daddy where are we going?" Rosie said

"Far away from here my sweet" William cried

"But what about Ellie, Sapphire and Willow?" and William sobbed at the mention of their names

"They can't come with us; they're with your mother now"

"Daddy?"

"Rosie, it's just you and me now. We have to look out for each other" William said holding his daughter tight.

Rosie sobbed and clutched her compass rose tightly scared about what would lay in store for her now.


	5. Part Five

Part Five: Sisterhood

Many years had passed since that fateful day and now Rosie was no longer a child. She had grown up fast and now was a young woman, she still took after her father with the purple eyes but now they told stories of the hardship and mourned the loss of a happy childhood that had been stolen from her on that day. Since then everything had changed. William and Rosie travelled by light of the moon from town to town, never staying anywhere for too long and never giving out their names. The Sheriff had spies everyone and one could not be sure who was a friend of foe anymore. But now their travels seemed to come back in a full circle as they were walking back through the great Sherwood Forest that Rosie had played in as a child. The truth was that they had no where to go and now William was close to giving up the fight but Rosie kept him going. It was her who suggested they come back to their roots. William guessed she needed to face up to her past in order to go into the future, he knew she was still grieving for the loss of her sisters but she never spoke a word of it to William. In short the relationship between father and daughter was getting weak, the relationship was now of two companions fighting each day to try and stay alive for each other. William blamed himself for this, Rosie had been robbed of her happy memories and she'd grown up fast in the wilderness but even after all the hardship she'd managed to keep an optimistic approach and William could not have been prouder of her.

Rosie walked slightly ahead of William checking her compass rose for direction even though she knew the layout of the woods like the back of her hand. William had to admit that her mapmaking skills were greater than he could have ever wished for but as he looked up at his daughter he saw her pace was slowing and she was trying to blink away the tired from her eyes

"You're tired little one" He said gently

"Not so little" she grinned back with a tired smile

"We should stop here" he said putting the little he owned down on the forest floor

"In the middle of the forest with who knows what out there?" she said defiantly

"You're armed" he said pointing to her bow

It was true; Rosie was a natural archer and always had been. Her skill had been said to rival that of Robin Hood's but she was modest about this. William knew that Rosie could take care of herself now and she wasn't a little girl. It would soon be time to let go and set her free into the world but William just couldn't bring himself to do so.

Rosie sighed as she knew there was no point trying to argue with him and anyway she was tired "I'll go and get some water then"

"Where from?"

"The stream over there" she pointed "You forget I know every tree in these woods" she smiled and ran off calling back "Anyway I have this" she waved her compass rose in the air and William smiled. Suddenly he felt very sleepy and his eyes began to droop as he fell into a restless sleep.

Meanwhile Rosie was now at the stream collecting water. She smiled sadly as she remembered all the times her and her sisters had played in the stream. She sat down on the bank and looked at her surroundings until something caught her eye. On one of the great old oak trees were compass markings carved into the tree with some an inscription carved at the bottom. Rosie slowly made her way over to the tree and ran her hand over the writing; _"We of the Sisterhood carve our names into this Oak to retain an everlasting bond that can never be broken no matter how far apart we are". _Rosie suddenly burst into tears as she remembered that day when she was only just able to walk and her sisters had taken her to this tree and finally accepted her into the family through the sisterhood ritual. The sisterhood was a bond between the four girls that was strong and everlasting. Rosie crouched down at the base of the tree and hugged her knees as she wept.

"No matter how far we are apart" she recited "But we are so far apart and I am so lonely" she shouted "I don't know what to do!"

She the bucket of water she had collected into the stream and the splash from the impact got her soaking wet, but this sudden soaking seemed to calm her down and now her head felt clearer.

Rosie turned again to look at the tree and said out loud "But this sisterhood will go on no matter how far we are apart"

She hopped back across the stream and walked back to her father with the water. All of a sudden she heard shouting voices coming from the North road below and Rosie being Rosie went to look what was going on. She ducked behind a tree and watched the events unfold.

A carriage had been stopped by a man wielding a bow who yelled "This is an ambush, my comrades and I will be taking your riches for the poor. Do not resist or we will take everything and leave you with more sharp things in you than a hedgehog" Rosie nearly laughed out loud at his arrogance

The man continued "Will if you please"

A tall dark haired man carrying an axe stepped forward and took the so called riches of the people in the carriage. Rosie watched him carefully studying his body. There was something oh so familiar about him but she couldn't place it. She watched his tall body easily amble about and when he turned she admired his deep soulful eyes that seemed to reach into her very mind. Rosie suddenly came to her senses and realised she was grinning madly and had turned bright red.

She quickly got up and made her way back to her father angry at herself for being taken in like that. Amway why would someone like him ever care about someone like her and it was not as if she could just; go over and introduce herself; she had her father to think of and anyway what is it that he always said _"Speech can give away your deepest secrets. Even a name can give away a thousand secrets"_ and that was that, Rosie had made up her mind that if she ever saw that man again, the one they called Will she would not speak to him, well not until she could trust him anyway. She remembered how the Sheriff had spies everywhere and how one could not be too careful about whom they chose as a companion.

She entered into the clearing where she had left her father and stopped looking confused at the situation that was laid before her eyes. Her father was not there where she had left him, in fact he was no where to be seen but instead stood a tall dark haired man wearing leather who sneered at her. Rosie knew who he was immediately; she had heard her father's stories. This was Guy of Gisbourne, the sheriff's right hand man and then one who had killed her sisters

"Where is my father?" she shouted throwing down the bucket of water

"Rosie Oaks how nice of you to join me" he said pulling his sword out of its sheath

"I said where is my father?" Rosie was alarmed at the sight of the sword but she kept walking towards Gisbourne even though she could feel her whole body shaking in fear

"You should be careful about where you choose to sleep. You never know who's waiting to ambush you. My dear Rosie you see we received information from our spies that you and your father were coming back in the area and since he is an enemy of Nottingham we were about to lay a little ambush. We had it all planed out but when you left to go and collect water, we made our move. You made it so much easier for us"

"Where is he?"

"He's going to be hanged in the next hour" Gisbourne sneered "And I am going to finish what I started all those years ago"

Something in Rosie broke at that point. She had already lost her mother and her sisters and she was not about to loose the only person she had left in the world. She grabbed her bow and before Gisbourne could react she fired an arrow at him. She hit his shoulder and he roared in pain. The arrow had been just enough to distract him whilst Rosie made a head start running to Nottingham. She could hear him running behind her and she picked up the pace. She could feel the stitch in her side but she didn't stop she had to make it to Nottingham to save her father. She clutched at the compass rose around her neck and hoped it would guide her in these dark times.

**A/N: and there you have it, Rosie's completed back story. I'm thinking of doing a sequel to Wind Rose with the same characters. Let me know what you think xx**


End file.
